So you went off to a Fox Lake tire store and bought a set of brand new tires. You've been driving on them for a few weeks now and you're on your way home from work when, bam! You find yourself with a flat tire. Of course the first thing you think is that you have to get back to the Fox Lake tire shop to replace it. But even before that you need to change to the spare. Do you know how? It's really not hard if you know what you're doing.

The first thing you need to do is to turn on your hazard lights. This will let other drivers know that you are having car problems. Then you need to find a safe spot to pull over. If you find yourself on the highway, pull off to the shoulder but avoid a hill if you can. If you are in a residential area, it may be a good idea to find a parking lot or quiet street away from traffic.

Remember to put your car into park and apply the parking break so that your car doesn't roll. You may end up with even more problems if your car starts to run away from you.

Next you need to pull out your spare tire and jack. Hopefully you've kept your spare well inflated whenever you checked your other tires. You have to be careful about where you place your jack. Most modern cars have notch marks behind the front wheels and in front of the back ones. That is where you place your jack. If your car is older and doesn't have those, make sure you place it on the metal frame near the flat and not on anything plastic.

Raise your jack. Don't raise it too high, just high enough to support the car's weight and not actually lifting it. Also make sure that the jack is sturdy and straight or you'll lose the car.

While the tire is still on the ground, remove the hub cap and loosen the nuts by turning counterclockwise. You just need to break the resistance of the nuts, you're not removing them just yet. They may be hard to move, so place the wrench in such a way that you're turning with gravity. You can also stomp on it if you need to, just make sure you're turn it the right way.

Jack the tire off the ground while making sure the car stays stable. If you notice anything moving or if the jack is on an angle, jack it back down and fix the position.

Finish removing the lug nuts. You should be able to do this by hand since you loosened them earlier.

Carefully remove the tire and place it under the car. If your car does happen to fall, it will land on the tire and not on you.

Line up the spare with the hub and put it on the car. Tighten the nuts by hand till they are snug, then continue to tighten them with the wrench. Don't try to tighten them too much or your car may fall off the jack. Also, tighten them all equally instead one at a time. This with keep the tire balanced. Turn each of them once and move on to the next going in a circle.

Lower the jack a little but not completely. About as high as in step 4. Tighten the bolts as much as you can at this point.

Lower the car all the way down and remove the jack. Tighten the nuts one more time, stomping on the wrench like before if you need to.

Throw your old tire in the trunk and head back to your Fox Lake tire store as soon as possible. Your spare is only rated for up to 50mph and only a short distance. It might be possible for your Fox Lake tire shop to fix a small puncture in your tire for a low price. If they can't fix it, then they can just sell you a new one.

Even if you take good care of your tires, there will come a time when you need to replace them. For a great tire selection, service, and price, visit fox lake tire store or http://autotechcenters.com/